Don't Ever Leave Me
by Jocyelmi
Summary: A fanfic for Super Junior member - Cho Kyuhyun. It is about time for Kyuhyun to enter university. And he looks forward to having a normal life. After seeking advice from his plastic surgeon, Dr. Park, he manages to procure a new aesthetic technology called "The Mask". His new disguise gives him a chance at a regular life, and for a special girl to love him for his true self.
1. Chapter 1: The Day We Met

My name is Gyo Soo Jun. I just finished my college entrance exams and am waiting for my results. It's going to take a while, admissions would take even longer, so I decided to spend some time interning at Sparkle Magazine. They don't usually accept fresh grads. But I met a friend on StarCraft who gave me a pretty good recommendation. They were willing to accept me as an intern.

I thought that life working in the magazines industry would be fun - like having fun at all sorts of parties and meeting a lot of cool people. But I spent most of my time running errands, returning outfits, booking photoshoot venues, confirming interviews with celebrity agents, and many many more. Still, a life like that isn't so bad. I still find it a lot more exciting than studying meaningless textbooks all the time.

It feels like my life has just started.

What do I want to be in the future? A pop star! It's always been my dream to collaborate with Cho Kyuhyun, co-star with him in a Super Junior MV maybe. I've even sent my applications to Kyung Hee University to major in Post-Modern Music.

_Cho Kyuhyun!_

I totally forgot our interview and photoshoot with him for this afternoon! Hurriedly, my right hand reached into my tote bag for the Blackberry - we always use Blackberry phones when communicating with stars or their agents. Better security, they say.

After dialing Super Junior's manager, I reminded him of Kyuhyun's interview and photoshoot. Kyuhyun's manager is a nice guy. He told me that they would arrive as scheduled and that there was nothing to worry about.

_Whew._

That was a relief. Popular stars like Kyuhyun were hard to schedule sometimes. The next call on my list would be SNSD's manager. I fiddled around with my phone for awhile until I found the right number and hit the dial button. Soo Hi's the lady I'm looking for - around five years older than me and a lot more accomplished. I'm jealous of her sometimes...

"Gu Soo Hi speaking."

"Soo Hiiiiiiiii!" I greeted over the phone, "Soo Jun here from Sparkle magazine, is Sunny-"

Soo Hi interrupted me with a quick urgency in her voice, it's normal for her to be in a rush, but her voice sounded extra panicky today: "Sunny's got food poisoning at the moment - having her stomach pumped at the hospital now."

"What happened!?" I cried out. _HOW WAS I GOING TO FIND A REPLACEMENT MODEL IN TWO HOURS!?_

"Damn those _sasaeng_! I have no idea what they put in her food or _HOW_ they got to her to eat their stuff. But she's definitely in no shape for a photoshoot today. Email me if you need anything! I'm really busy right now, sorry Soo Jun!"

_Click!_

And all that was left was my mouth hanging open in shock, in the middle of the street, holding all the clothes for the photoshoot later in five huge shopping bags - it didn't help that it was in the middle of winter. Fashion during winter is usually the heaviest with all those wools, furs, and random accessories. Thank goodness it wasn't snowing.

_OH NO! THE PHOTOSHOOT!_

Many of my friends wished me luck when I started my internship. And I was lucky enough to have a supervisor who was really understanding and helpful.

Thinking fast, I flagged a cab with my free hand. When a cab stopped, I got on, and told the driver to head to the studio's address. After catching three quick breaths, I dialed my supervisor's number.

"... Soo Jun?"

"Yes, Lisa, it's me. Big trouble. Sunny's got food poisoning and she can't make it to the shoot."

"SHE _WHAT_!?"

"What do we do now?"

"HOW DID SHE GET FOOD POISONING!?"

"It's not like we'll know when a crazy _sasaeng_ pops up to ruin everything!"

"Aaaarrrrgghhh!" Lisa let out an exasperated cry, "This is not good. The stylist is stuck in traffic and that leaves me to do hair, makeup, and art direction. Kill me, please."

"Do you need me to get anything for you?"

"Just the clothes," said Lisa in a calmer voice. Working in magazines for years gave her godlike patience and tolerance. "Thank _goodness_ for the beauty department, or we'd be without makeup and styling tools."

"What about the female model? Your article's gonna be talking about Kyuhyun's love life, right?"

"Please tell me you're around Sunny's size..."

And that... Was how I met Kyuhyun for the first time. He was exactly how he presented himself in interviews - unlike some other stars who act nice for their fans but are awful to so many people they work with.

It wasn't hard to smile around him.

_He was so nice!_

During the shoot, Lisa told the photographer to get some candid shots - lots of smiles. Lisa was really gorgeous in her honey-blonde curls and Ray Ban glasses. She was wearing a leopard-print faux-fur-lined jacket over a simple white top and red shorts. Her brown strappy stilettos made her look feminine and elegant too. I have no idea how she manages to wear what she wants during winter. But she's a strong woman, and I really admire that in her.

Kyuhyun was really professional about the shoot. Not only did he do a good job with keeping his own energy levels up, he joked a lot and kept the whole room laughing. He really looked great in the Armani suit we borrowed for him. I guess he'd look good in anything.

Time really passes quickly when you're having fun. Before I knew it, we were already done with the shoot.

"Send me a copy of the magazine when you guys are done, please!" said Kyuhyun with his trademark boyish smile.

His manager threw him a bottle of water and he caught it from the air with ease before taking a sip from it.

"Kyuhyun!" Lisa called out, waving a few sheets of paper in her hand - probably the interview questions. "We'll need a few minutes of your time for the interview, could we run through the questions first before we start?"

"Sure!"

After that, Lisa passed Kyuhyun the questions before telling him to answer what he felt he was most comfortable with answering. Then, she walked over to me.

"The shoot was soooo cool!" she gushed, "You sure you haven't been doing modeling assignments on the side? You were awesome!"

"Haha! Kyuhyun was a professional. Anyone would have looked good beside him."

"I'll send you the photos once they're processed," Lisa winked. "Anyways, I know you'd like to stay on to assist with Kyuhyun around... But I really need you to help get these clothes dry-cleaned and returned. Got a lot of other stuff I'll need you to help me with too."

Lisa passed me a page-long to-do list. She's a really nice supervisor. Most other people would just tell me a long list of instructions and expect me to memorise without taking any notes.

I nodded to show that I've understood. With that, Lisa winked at me again, and walked quickly over to begin her interview with Kyuhyun.

I'd give the world to sit in for that interview. But I knew I had other things to do. So I smiled, called a cab and made my way out of the building with my arms full of shopping bags.

_Cho Kyuhyun, we'll meet again!_


	2. Chapter 2: A New Face

My name is Cho Kyuhyun. And I'm a singer. I just finished a photoshoot and interview with some magazine company. The girl I partnered with was pretty cute. We were quite busy and I didn't quite get her name. Soo something. There was something unique in her smile that I've never seen in other girls I worked with. She might be a new model or something. I wonder what happened to Sunny though. I thought she was supposed to be my partner for the day.

But what's over is over. No matter how fun a shoot is, it always exhausts me somehow. But there's nothing that a good dinner can't cure.

Heading over to my plastic surgeon now. There are things I'll need to discuss with him before I begin my life in university. I am thankful for the chance to be a pop star. Not many people have achieved this success. But I'm still young. And I want to be able to live a normal life for my university years. Yes, being a celebrity is fun. Was the best ride of my life. But sometimes, even the best of us need a break from all the craziness.

_I want to live my life._

When my driver pulled over at the curb near my plastic surgeon's place, I thanked him and walked into Dr. Park's clinic. Although I rarely ever visit him, Dr. Park always gave me the best advice when it came to my looks.

"Kyuhyun!" Dr. Park greeted. "Long time no see! How may I help you?"

I shook Dr. Park's hand with a smile and took a seat. "I want to look different."

"Do you have any reference photos?"

"No."

Dr. Park adjusted his black-framed glasses and narrowed his eyes at me, "Tell me, Boy. Why do you want to look different?"

"I want to be able to live a normal university life. Be like a normal person for three years or so…."

"Do you plan on pursuing music again?"

"Of course! Music is my life! I'd rather die than not be able to sing again!"

Dr. Park smiled, "You do know that your face might not be able to look exactly like it does after this surgery, don't you?"

"I know," I said, rubbing my temples. "It stressed me to think of the dilemma, but I really want to experience living life without the fame - without people judging me with their expectations of who Cho Kyuhyun should be. I want the chance to be me."

"You've come to the right place," Dr. Park said as he got up from his chair and patted me on the shoulder.

I was expecting him to take out some non-permanent markers and explain some surgeries that he could perform on my face. But what he took out from that cardboard box had just enough to change my life.

"I call it _The Mask_," said Dr. Park as he placed the cardboard box in front of me. It was full of latex masks with hair on their heads. It looked straight out from a horror movie - like people's skins were cut off, then cleaned and preserved.

"Dr. Park, I'll need something more realistic." I explained.

"Try it before you say anything else," Dr. Park arranged my hair out of my eyes and pulled a random mask over my face. He then pulled me up from the chair and made me look at myself in front of a full-length mirror. It made me look like Leonardo DiCaprio in his younger days.

"Wow, I'm flying…" I said with full sarcasm, waving my arms in the air. There was absolutely no way I would be able to show expressions through such a stiff mask. Even a _grandmother_ would know it's not a real face!

"You haven't seen anything yet," with that Dr. Park tucked the loose ends of the mask down my shirt and pressed a button at the back of the mask. It felt like air was being suctioned out of the mask. It was such a strange feeling that I had to touch the mask - it felt like a balloon being slowly deflated.

By the time the suction was complete, I found Leonardo DiCaprio's surprised face staring right at me. It was strange looking at his face with my eye colour. But my reflection's expressions matched mine completely. To test it out, I gave my most outrageous smile, squinted my eyes, scrunched my face, and the mask just followed my face. Looked realistic enough.

I looked at Dr. Park with amazement and he just nodded in approval. "Say something."

"Today is the 30th of February," after saying that, I gasped. It was an American accent in Leonardo DiCaprio's voice. Amazing! "Dr. Park! This is perfect!"

I jumped around and cheered, really happy that my dream of having a peaceful university life could finally begin.

"Keep it down!" said Dr. Park frantically, "I don't want to alert the neighbours. This project is still in experimental stage. And I don't want everyone to know about it yet!"

"Sorry," I apologised.

"Since you're my first Mask customer, try on a few more." encouraged Dr. Park.

I smiled and looked through the masks with excitement at all the possibilities.

"How do we take off a Mask?" I asked.

"Press the button at the back of your head three times within 2 seconds."

Easy enough. I got the mask out and I went off to try the others.

Dr. Park loved Hollywood stars. So far, I tried on an Elvis, Gene Kelly and Johnny Depp. There were several other Korean stars too. I had fun trying on Taeyeon's face. But I definitely wouldn't consider being a girl throughout the final leg of my school life.

At the end of it, all, there was a mask of a normal-ish looking boy. His hair reminded me of Soichi Negishi from Detroit Metal City - a black, bowl-cut hairstyle.

"Wait, stop! Don't wear that!" said Dr. Park, but it was too late. I already had it on.

"IT'S PERFECT!" I said. The face looked totally normal. A little bit nerdy, I must say. All I need would be some nerdy glasses to complete the look.

Dr. Park looked a little uncomfortable with me wearing that Mask. But he managed to regain his composure.

"Is there something wrong with this Mask?"

"N-no… It's… Nothing…" he said.

"How much for this Mask?" I asked.

"I'm not charging anything for it," he replied. "Not now anyways. But if you plan to wear this daily for three years, you will need to come back here to have the face glued on every week. The suction only works for five hours at most. In the meantime, I'll keep that for now."

I returned the Mask to Dr. Park.

"Thanks!" I said.

"You're welcome. Please come back the day before the day of your university interview and your first day of school."

"Will do, thanks Dr. Park!"

_My school life is going to be awesome!_


	3. Chapter 3: All For You

**Kyuhyun:**

It's springtime now. And today is my official first day in the university. And it is also my first time making friends in my Mask. I'm excited! Before I decided to wear the Mask to school, I did get clearance from my professors and the academic board. They said it would be ok, as long as I do not use it during exams - when they need to check my ID. As long as I keep a low profile, no one's going to look.

Everyone wears their own clothes in here. And somehow, I feel like my attempts to "geek up" don't really go so well in class… There are around 40 students. Most of the people here look like cover models for designer spring collections. A few of them are dressed like heavy metal rock stars.

My StarCraft T-shirt, oversized black hoodie jacket, baggy dark blue jeans, and thick-rimmed black spectacles makes me look even more like a nerd. Maybe if I went to school as myself, I could have blended in a little better… Man, I shouldn't have wasted money on getting such weird clothes.

Our first class is nothing serious. Just the customary round of self-introductions. Many are shy and the impressions they made are not very strong. Surprisingly, some of them are dressed well. Some others are arrogant - one guy even went as far as to say: "Don't talk to me unless you have over 5 million won of pocket money a month. Because I'm going to be the most famous singer ever!"

Some other introductions are funny, and I could clearly see that they are friendly souls who really want to make the class laugh. I bet they would make a lot of friends later.

It's my turn to introduce myself now, I freeze. Should I tell the class my full name?

"Yes, you," the professor points at me. "The guy with the bad hair and unfashionable StarCraft T-shirt. Stand up and introduce yourself."

I stand up, giving an awkward smile. People are giving me weird stares. I don't even have to turn left or right to see. I could _feel_ it. The silence is getting really awkward.

_This is worse than stage fright._

"…Cho…" I start.

"What?" says the professor, "If you seriously want to train yourself to be a musician, YOU'VE GOT TO SPEAK LOUDER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

I nod in reply and take a deep breath. "CHO KYUHYUN! MY NAME IS CHO KYUHYUN!"

The class erupts in laughter.

Oh yeah, how could I forget? I have the Mask on now. I'm not that Cho Kyuhyun that everyone knows anymore. I smile and continue with my introduction.

"Hey, I'm Mr Simple!" I sing the familiar line I've heard my band mates practise over and over before.

The class bursts into laughter again. Some of them are slamming their fists on their desks while others are clutching their stomachs.

_Do I really look that bad?_

It doesn't discourage me anyway. So I continue: "Singing is my life. I love music. And I want to spend the rest of my life making good music for everyone to enjoy. I love Korean bands like SNSD, Big Bang, and of course, Super Junior. I also admire musicians like Paul Anka who could sing their own songs, write their own pieces, and play their own music with instruments. That is what being a true musician is to me. And I am working towards that. I hope we get along."

I bow politely before sitting back down.

The class is still laughing. Not as hard as just now, but they probably exhausted themselves.

It feels good to be able to be just another face in the crowd.

The professor decided to start the class with a light assignment - to form pairs or groups to record a cover for any chosen song. Our deadline will be in a week. Anyone left without a group or a partner would have a zero for the assignment, no matter how well the chosen piece is sung. After the announcement, our professor gathered his belongings and left.

_That's some way to make us socialise quickly!_

I scan the classroom quickly and I notice people starting to form quick groups. Some of them are holding impromptu auditions, so the classroom soon filled with chatter and lines from random songs.

It's my first assignment! And I don't want to fail! How am I going to find a group at this rate? I never really thought that I'd miss my Super Junior mates during university since we could always contact each other. But I sure do now!

Sighing, I grab my bag and make my way out of the class. I'm definitely not prepared for this. I've tried talking with the Mask's voice before, but singing with it is something I have yet to prepare for. We still have a week to find partners anyways. Maybe I'll take my time for awhile.

_Should I go back to Dr. Park to have my original voice back instead of having the Mask overwrite it with a stranger's tone?_

On my way out of class, I hear a girl singing to a guitar's strumming. Nice, clean vocals, sweet-sounding, kinda cute too. The sort that I like. She is singing to Cool's "All For You".

I decide to follow the voice. Sounds like it is coming from the staircase. As soon as she ended the girl's part, I lean against the wall and start singing the accompaniment. Before I knew it, we were singing the chorus together. I close my eyes. I enjoy the music…

_This is exactly what music should be like…_

"_It's only for you. Just wanna be for you…_"

"Neon geureoke jigeum moseub geudaero. Naegyeote isseumyeondwi-" I open my eyes. And I realise that the girl has stopped singing. She is standing in front of me now. Awkward.

Her guitar bag is slung around her back and her guitar is still in her hand.

I really had no idea that she could hear me! My first reaction is to jump in fright. Not cool. My next move isn't too cool either. I remember that girl. She's that cute girl I had a photoshoot with last winter! "You're Soo- Soo-"

"Soo Jun!" she says with surprise, "How do you know my name?"

"I-I-I I REMEMBERED IT FROM CLASS INTRODUCTIONS THIS MORNING!" I blurt out. I have no idea whether it was true or not. But being someone other than myself make me feel uncomfortable.

Her face brightens up considerably, "You're majoring in Post-Modern Music too?"

"Y-yeah…" I stammer, "I'm sorry I interrupted your song... I really like your singing. I didn't mean to-"

"That's great!" a huge smile appears on her face. "Have you found a group yet?"

"Not really," I scratch the back of my head. Scratching doesn't really solve itches with the Mask on. I make a mental note to stop the habit. "I'm planning to look for members tomorrow or something. It seemed like it was getting a little too noisy in class just now…"

"Yeah," Soo Jun agrees. "I came out here to practise for a bit. Was hoping to go back in and find my team members after I warmed up. Can we sing the chorus again?"

I smile and nod. Without the wall between us now, our voice sounds much better. It feels a lot better singing this way too. Even though I have the Mask on, my voice still sounds alright. As long as a song is carried out with sincerity, and in the right pitch, everything else would fall into place.

The guitar strumming stops, and so do we. I look at Soo Jun. "Are we a team?"

"Sounds like a plan!" she smiles back as she puts her guitar back into its case and zips it up

"Shall we decide on this song? Or do you want to cover another song?"

"Hmm…" she thinks, "Let's explore our options." With that, she takes out a piece of paper from her pink sling bag and writes down her name and email.

I tear off a clean piece from the paper she gave me and write my name and email on it. After that, I pass my written information to her before pocketing the piece she gave me.

"Cho Kyuhyun?" she giggles. "Is that your real name?"

"Yeah…" I nod with a brief smile. I guess I will have to get used to my name being associated with my real, popular self.

"You've got the same name as my idol!"

"Can't practise today?" I ask, changing the subject.

"I'm sorry, I've got something on today. Even if class ended at the time it was supposed to, I would have left early. Gotta collect my paycheque. We can chat later. I'll be online. See you!"

Soo Jun waves at me and left humming the chorus of "All For You". First modelling, now singing. That girl's got talent. And a good personality too.

That was how our friendship started. Two music-lovers singing near a staircase. It didn't matter if the rest of the class didn't like what I was. Somehow it felt alright as long as I had the company of Soo Jun.


	4. Chapter 4:Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Soo Jun:

It's the third day of school now. Kyuhyun has no idea of the names people call him - Mr Simple, Super Junior, StarCraft, Unfashionable… The list keeps growing. He is starting to dress a little more stylishly now though - today he is wearing a simple black tee over fitted black jeans. But I have a feeling that Kyuhyun would need to style himself up a lot more before the class could accept him as a normal person. Our classmates are a superficial bunch.

By now, the song cover assignment from Day One isn't exactly the hardest we have received. But the fact that is due the soonest gave most of us jitters. Kyuhyun seems really calm about this though. We agreed to get it done and over with today so we could focus on other stuff. He is taking me to a recording studio where he could use a keyboard.

My guitar is slung over my shoulder per usual. Just another one of those days when I space out on public transport. My mind drifts over to Kyuhyun's voice - it may not have the rich, velvety quality of my idol who shares his name. But his voice is not that hard to get used to. It has a nice, clear quality about it. Like a crisp sweet apple or the refreshing smell of the air in spring. Not that I'm falling for him or anything - I'm just stating my opinions as a musician.

I still hope that I'll be able to meet my idol up close and personal one day…

A hand waves in front of me and brings me out of my daydream.

"Soo Jun?" Now that Kyuhyun has my attention, he continued: "It's our stop."

I looked at the station name and walked out of the train with Kyuhyun. Since I don't really know the way, I let him take the lead.

"Am I boring?" he asks.

"What?" _Why would he ask such a strange question?_

"You were pretty quiet on the train just now…" he laughs. "You don't really seem like the quiet sort of person."

"Oh!" I laugh, thinking of how silly I was daydreaming just now.

"You're laughing at me?" Kyuhyun frowns.

"No no," I assure him, "A girl has her daydreams, you know. Was kind of hoping that I'll meet my idol in real one day. And that becoming a musician would be my first step of getting him to notice me."

"Who is it? I know a few people from SM Entertainment,"

My eyes widened automatically, "You _do_?"

Kyuhyun looks left and right with shifty eyes before covering his mouth with "Oops" written all over his face.

"How did you get to know them? You don't stalk them, do you?"

He runs his fingers through his hair and gives me a sheepish expression, "I…. I've worked there before… Part-time…"

There he goes, stuttering again.

"Have you met Cho Kyuhyun from Super Junior?"

"Of course!" he laughs, feeling a little more relaxed now, "I'm Mr Simple!" He pulls at the front of his shirt and does some fancy footwork while singing "Mr Simple" quickly under his breath.

"Stop that!" I slap him on the arm playfully, I can't help but laugh along too. Kyuhyun is the sort of friend with contagious laughter. He isn't exactly drop-dead gorgeous, but his expressions sort of becomes his face. And since he's smiling most of the time, it is hard not to feel comfortable around him.

"Race you there!" he said before running off.

"W-wait!"

Can't believe that he is making me run after him at full speed - in heels! Thankfully, the journey wasn't long. We stopped at a 3-storey building five blocks away.

"Here it is," he says. He walks into the small building and greets the receptionist. They seem to have known each other for awhile. They chat for a bit while Kyuhyun signs some papers and passes over some cash.

When they were done, Kyuhyun smiles at me and jerks his head towards the staircase. "The studio here's pretty cheap, so we're gonna have to walk up some stairs. I hope you don't mind."

I shook my head, "No, not at all!"

"Need me to carry your guitar for you?"

Before he can relieve me of my guitar completely, I snatch it back from him, "I'm a musician! I'm able to carry my own instrument!"

He laughs before he nods to show he understands.

"I've never sung a duet with a guy before," I admit.

"What? I don't count as a guy?" Kyuhyun asks as he opens the door for me.

I walk into the recording studio and turn on the lights. The room isn't really large. But it has a keyboard, a drum set, some electric guitars, and other stuff. Looks like a great place for a band to chill out. I wonder if anyone else out there would want to make music with us. It will be so cool to be in a band! Oh… All those songs we could play…

"Spacing out again?" Kyuhyun snaps his fingers in front of my face again.

I blink, "Haha! Yeah… Sorry, Kyuhyun, I'm pretty tired today."

"Yeh, it's been a long day," he agrees. "Let's get our song done and over with."

We decided to remix a track from the 80s - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen. StarCraft wanted to create a Korean version of "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. But I didn't feel comfortable singing something too emotional with him. Just a shortcoming of mine. I have trouble singing something serious with him without laughing. Plus, translation would be a pain. So we picked something a little more upbeat.

I put my guitar bag down and took out my electric guitar - yeah, I have seven guitars. Two classical guitars, a bass, and four electric guitars. Other girls collect shoes, I collect guitars. Whatever.

Kyuhyun walks to the keyboard and switches it on before practising some scales quickly. I do the same after attaching my guitar to an amp.

"You ready?" asks Kyuhyun.

I nod and start playing our version of the introduction in reply. Freddie Mercury had limited guitar skills when he composed this song. But I sure as hell don't. Give me a guitar and I'll claim any stage.

Kyuhyun starts singing the first few lines of the song, I soon follow with my lines here and there. He isn't too shabby himself with the keyboard - must have been training for years.

Our rehearsals after school in the auditorium paid off. We are in sync and don't miss any beats. Not to mention, our voices are in tip-top condition. It's a great feeling to perform and know that the hard part is already finished. That's probably the only perk of rehearsing and rehearsing and rehearsing until you don't want to hear the song for another five months or so. But it is so totally worth it.

Eight recordings later, we pick the best, edit it, and record the data onto a CD.

"We're DONE!" I cheer in my near-raspy voice, waving the CD in the air when the computer ejected the disc.

"Hey, hey, hey! Be careful with that!" Kyuhyun says as he grabs the CD from me and writes our name and student number on the disc before slotting it into a paper sleeve.

I'm quite surprised that his voice doesn't sound anywhere as bad as mine after eight recordings. Did he do backup singing for SM Entertainment when he worked with them? While pondering, I pack my guitar.

"I'm thirsty," he says after he places his backpack over his shoulder. "Let's get something to drink."

"Yeah, let's."

—

Kyuhyun got himself a can of coffee and I got myself some banana milk. Nothing like drinking milk after a recording session. Eating or drinking dairy products before a recording is a strict no-no. It relaxes the vocal chords and it makes you feel like the insides of your throat are melted marshmallows.

It's evening now. The streets are clear at this time of the night. We walk towards a bench before placing our stuff beside us. We sit down.

"… Crazy little thing called love…" sings Kyuhyun before he opens the can and takes a sip.

"Goodness me, aren't you sick of that song yet!?" I exclaim.

"It's a nice song," he chuckles. "What's your idea of a perfect love?"

I smile, take a long drink from my bottle and reply, "The best stories happen when someone goes through something really painful just to gain attention from that one special person. Don't you think?"

"I think the best sort of love is simple."

"Nothing's gonna happen if you don't work for it."

"Is that what you truly believe in?"

I nod my head, "That's what I've been doing all my life. Work hard, set high expectations. So even if I don't end up getting what I want, I get something close."

"You think that applies to love too?" Kyuhyun laughs through his nose. Then he smiles.

"Yes," I reply with confidence.

"So who's the lucky guy?"

"I told you before - Cho Kyuhyun."

StarCraft starts laughing really hard. His laughter is so contagious I laugh along too.

"You're not serious, are you?" he asks.

"Of course I am serious."

"But you've never met him. How would you know it will turn out ok? What if he's one of those awful guys who act all nice in front of the camera but has really bad habits and -"

"LALALALALALALA I'M NOT LISTENING!"

Kyuhyun looks scared now, he looks like the brain under his mushroom hairdo is getting scrambled. I sigh and begin to explain myself:

"The thought of being in a relationship gives me strength to do what I do. I don't know if I will meet him. I don't know if he will fall in love with me. But his image in my head keeps me strong. It gives me dreams. I feel like life gets pretty meaningless the moment I stop dreaming about it."

"What if he gets a girlfriend?"

I shake my head. Not wanting to entertain those thoughts, I changed the subject: "What's your goal in life?"

"To have a normal university life."

I stare at Kyuhyun, "What?"

"You heard me, I want a normal university life!"

"What so great about that?"

Before I can register what's happening, Kyuhyun hugs me tightly.

"H-hey…"

_This is getting a little awkward…_

"Freedom," he says. "Freedom to make friends who like me for who I am. Freedom to be myself. Thanks for being my friend even though I'm the loser in class."

Kyuhyun lets go of me. The look on his face is pure misery.

"Kyuhyun…"

He mutters an apology, picks up his stuff, and runs off.

"Kyuhyun!" I shout as I pick up my stuff. I have to go after him.

No matter how fast I run, I just can't catch up with him. My hair is flying all over my face, but I don't care. I don't want him doing anything stupid.

While he had a decent amount of gain, Kyuhyun flags a cab and jumps in.

_I never thought that he would care that much about what others thought about him._


	5. Chapter 5: The Man Behind The Mask

Kyuhyun:

I never really knew what being unpopular was like. My first week at school feels exactly like Cinderella but reversed. I started out with everything a guy could want - success, money, fame. But now I find it hard to choose between the lesser evil. I don't know whether I'd prefer to be too easily recognised or too easily ignored.

As much as I want to be myself again, I don't want to risk my new-found freedom. Why can't we just have it all?

Whatever. The answer is a no-brainer. But it will be a bitter pill to swallow.

I'm out in town, sitting in some random cafe, sipping at a hot Arabica. My bright blue hoodie and oversized black sunglasses hide my face. I hate the feeling of having to hide who I am. But I don't want my freedom to come at the expense of Dr. Park.

He told me the story of Starcraft's Mask when I dropped by his clinic to get the Mask glued on again. The real name of that unknown boy was Park Jae Sung - he was the son of Dr. Park.

After his son died in a car accident, Dr. Park was grieved enough to want to make someone else look like Jae Sung. So that he could feel, even if just for a little while, that his son was with him again.

And that was how he started his Mask project. Dr. Park told me that he was happy that I wanted to wear his son's face at first. But it brought him more pain thinking of his son. He told me that he wanted to destroy the Mask so that he could move on.

I feel sorry for Dr. Park.

The least I could for him is to be myself. But how do I go about telling the truth to everyone? Where do I start?

I am curious about one thing though. Will Soo Jun miss StarCraft?

Feeling exasperated, I rub the hoodie over my hair, then rub my temples. I probably look ridiculous, but I don't care now. Somehow, it actually feels good to be able to feel my own skin again.

Perhaps true freedom comes from the courage of being yourself. I give myself good advice. But I wish I had the determination to follow them more often.


	6. Chapter 6: Don't Ever Leave Me

Soo Jun:  
It's been three weeks now. StarCraft hasn't been attending school, but he still talks to me online. Strangely, he hasn't been answering my calls, but prefers to send me texts and chat online.

It's a skin disease, he says.

Yeah right.

I shut down my computer, take off my headphones and plop myself onto my warm, fluffy bed. Staring at the ceiling with calm afternoon sunshine streaming in from my window stills my mind. Makes me think clearer.

My ears begin to pick up sounds from outside my room, shuffling of my dad's feet. The sound of CDs being put on the old CD player. Dad's not very good with technology.

He's probably going to play some random oldie.

The music plays.

Don't ever leave me - Paul Anka. I know my Dad well.

Rolling around in bed, I try to find a comfortable position to stew in my thoughts and rest my tired muscles.

Lately, I've been passing Kyuhyun his homework. The only time I've heard his voice was for another assignment. And for some reason, his voice was highly edited. It sounded almost alien.

Could he be holing himself up because something serious happened to his voice? Goodness! If that happened to me, I'd be too upset to go anywhere at all!

I reached out to my mobile, speed-dialed him and waited. After a couple of rings, he hung up.

How annoying.

A few seconds later, I receive a text.

"What's up?"

"Is there something wrong with your voice?" I type. "Why can't you talk to me? What's wrong? Tell me the truth. I'M WORRIED!"

"Nothing's wrong."

There he goes again.

"Fine. If there's nothing wrong, I won't bother you anymore. Get your homework directly from the professors. If you want to treat me like a stranger, FINE! DON'T ASK ME TO DO ANYTHING FOR YOU AGAIN! EVER!"

I'd love to hang up if I could. That's what I hate about texts. I can't cut anyone off.

My phone vibrates.

Kyuhyun.

I pick it up.

He coughs twice, and starts in a small voice that doesn't sound like his at all, "Soo Jun?"

"What's wrong with you? Tell me, please."

"It's… Hard…"

"I'm your friend, Kyuhyun. Let me help you! Even if I can't, at least let me listen. Tell me."

"The truth is hard to tell," he pauses, "I'm not who you think I am."

"Huh?"

"Meet me at the bench near the studio we did our first assignment. At 3 a.m."

"WHY WOULD YOU PICK SUCH A WEIRD HOUR!?"

"I don't want to be seen," he says pleadingly, "I can't be seen, Soo Jun, please understand. I'm not like everyone else…"

"What are you, a vampire or something?"

Kyuhyun chuckles in that soft voice that isn't his again. It feels like my friend over the phone, but I can tell that there's something wrong with his voice, "3 a.m at the bench please, Soo Jun."

"Okay." With that, I hang up.

Better catch up on some sleep now. I'll probably head to the station in time to catch the last train to the studio. Even though I'd probably be around three hours early, I'm more comfortable taking the subway. I could always read a book to kill time. Besides, I don't want to give Kyuhyun any chance to run away.

I need to see him.

—

It's 2.45a.m now. Thankfully the temperature's much cooler at night. I must be pretty good at being bored. I'm not even halfway through my novel when I heard footsteps.

_Kyuhyun!_

I freeze when I look up at him. He's not the Kyuhyun that I school with…

Cho Kyuhyun from Super Junior takes a seat beside me and smiles at me, "Hi."

Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Or did he get lost? Am I dreaming or something? Just to check, I scan my surroundings - empty streets, the rustling of tree leaves from the night air, and orange lights from the lamp posts - no other soul on the streets but us.

"Soo Jun..."

"Where's Kyuhyun?" At this point, I can't believe that StarCraft stood me up. He's probably trying to distract me from his problem by getting one of his SM Entertainment friends to meet me. Why can't that numbskull understand that friends are _important_ to me!?

"I am Kyuhyun,"

"You know who I'm talking about!" I exclaim. "Cho Kyuhyun, the guy who has the same name as you, worked part-time with SM, loves to wear StarCraft T-shirts and thick-framed glasses... The guy who plays the keyboard... treats music like his life... Where is he?"

The Kyuhyun beside me looks mildly amused. "StarCraft told me to meet a fan who wouldn't date any guy but me. And here you are, worrying about him when I'm right beside you?"

I want to turn StarCraft into a hamburger right about now. HE THOUGHT I WAS SERIOUS!? Which self-respecting girl in her right mind would dedicate herself completely to a guy she only knows through media!? Sure, I'm a big fan of Cho Kyuhyun. But this meeting with him is seriously beginning to disenchant me.

"That idiot sent you here because he thought I was serious?"

"You mean a lot to him," he replies, looking at me straight in the eyes.

"You're his friend too... Tell me, what's wrong with him, is he alright?" I beg. "Where is he?"

"Soo Jun," Kyuhyun says, grasping my shoulders like a friend who is prepared to shake some sense into someone, "I. Am. Cho. Kyuhyun. Your classmate. Also known as Mr. Simple, StarCraft, and Unfashionable. I play the keyboard and clarinet. I like musicians who write and perform their own music. Music is my life. I am the Cho Kyuhyun you spent your first week in school with."

When he finished, he lets go of me. His gaze never left mine the whole time. It makes me feel nervous, heart-fluttery, and yet angry at the same time.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" I ask.

He slowly begins to sing the first few lines of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - softly, and awkwardly, but he manages the notes. A month ago, an encounter like this would have given me reason to die happy and satisfied. But now, it feels weird to hear a stranger sing our song. How much has StarCraft told this stranger about us?

I can't take this anymore. After shoving my novel back in my brown leather tote, I get up and start walking away.

"Soo Jun!" He grabs my hand.

"Let. Go."

"Don't leave me, please. You're the only one who treated me like a friend when I was a nobody. You're the only one who accepts me for me..."

I turn around and flick my wrist away from his grasp, "Who the hell's gonna believe that you and StarCraft are the exact same person!? You both have different voices! Not to mention the obvious - you guys look totally different!"

"What do I have to do to convince you that I'm your classmate?" Kyuhyun reaches out into his jeans pocket and takes out StarCraft's mobile phone. He looks serious. "Is this familiar?"

"Give that back to him..."

Without looking at the phone, Kyuhyun dials a number. My phone vibrates. "Need more proof?" He asks.

I breathe in and out slowly. "If what you're saying is true, you've lied to me. All this time. StarCraft's existence. Lies."

"I told you the truth is not going to be easy to explain," Kyuhyun sighs and looks at his feet. He absentmindedly traces random patterns over the ground with his right toe.

Shaking my head, I relay to him my sentiments, "I don't know you at all. The guy I met in school was someone who was happy to be himself. You're a talented musician, Kyuhyun. I really admired you. But now, I only feel sorry for you that you aren't happy being yourself."

He looks up at me again.

"One more thing," I say before walking off, "Tell StarCraft to come back to school. I'm not his secretary."

I stalk off into the night. What in the world got into StarCraft to make him send a friend to meet me instead? That was plain rude. At least he could have sent some other guy who wasn't my idol...

Oh well. Now I'm friendless, and idol-less.

I'll probably head to some random 24-hour internet café to let off some steam.

As I turn into a street corner, I steal a glance at Kyuhyun - he looks upset somehow, looking at his feet, not moving from where we were talking.

Why does that stupid StarCraft have to make me hate my idol?


	7. Chapter 7: All for You (Reprise)

Kyuhyun:

It's been three days. Soo Jun refuses to answer any of my calls or texts. So I went a little old-school and sent her a letter. I explained everything about the Mask. Took pictures with Dr. Park's permission. I even took pictures of Dr. Park cutting the mask neatly in half with surgical scissors.

StarCraft is no longer around anymore. I'm Cho Kyuhyun. A member of Korean boy-band Super Junior. I have made music. I have made people happy. I am ready to be myself now.

As an apology, I decided to hold a concert in school dedicated to Soo Jun. I saved a front seat middle row ticket for her. The ticket was included in the mail I sent.

Right now, I'm backstage in the school's auditorium, having my makeup applied with the rest of my bandmates. I told them about my apology idea for Soo Jun and they agreed to perform with me. Gotta love my bros. I owe them big time.

"Hey Kyu," says Siwon, "We're not doing this apology performance without you. Hurry up!"

I hurriedly check my reflection in the mirror, stand up, and straighten my black blazer. We're in simple suits today - black blazers, trousers, a white shirt, and a black tuxedo bow. Not exactly my favourite outfit to dance in, but yeah, I want this apology to be as formal as possible.

Once I'm satisfied with my looks, I rush out to be in position on stage. I haven't seen the back of a stage curtain in some time. But it sure is a comforting sight. Feels good to be doing something familiar today.

Bright, blinding white lights hit us and Leeteuk takes the lead. Even though it's my apology performance, protocols are protocols - I shouldn't take the limelight away from our band leader.

"Ladies and Gentleman, Kyuhyun's been a really bad boy lately and he wants to say sorry to a lovely lady he disappointed. I sure hope you're in the crowd watching this!" Leeteuk points his index finger at the crowd and winks.

If the flap of a butterfly's wings are enough to send a tempest on another end of the globe, I think Leeteuk's move was enough to melt down Antarctica.

But it isn't gonna steal the show from what we have planned - for what I have in store for Soo Jun.

Drum beats from our slightly remixed track fill the air and the full-house audience screams. We begin with a song of my choice - "Sorry Sorry".

When that's done, we sing a few other songs - inclusive of Mr. Simple, just for kicks. And a Super Junior version of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" for good measure. We ended the performance with "SPY".

After our 30-minute performance, we said our goodbyes to the crowd and left the stage. It was exhausting to sing and dance professionally again. But it felt right. It felt even better now that I've finally accepted myself for who I am - thanks to Soo Jun.

In my letter to her, I did state that when the crowd cleared out, I'd perform a solo for her. At this point, I don't care anymore if it freaks her out. If Soo Jun couldn't accept me for who I really am, it's best for me to move on.

The atmosphere of an empty auditorium is kinda dull and hollow. Kinda amplifies my loneliness in a way. But that's how good theatres are built - they magnify emotions portrayed by the performer.

Stagehands have left a single chair and a classical guitar for me. A single spotlight illuminates the seat. The microphone in front of the setup won't be necessary for an audience of one - or none.

I walk over, sit down, and prop the guitar on my lap. Just for this moment, I learned the guitar tabs for "All For You" - the duet that Soo Jun and I sang when we first met.

It's hard to scan the audience with the light in my face. The bright lights sorta help performers get over with their stage fright. If Soo Jun is around like I asked her too, it is only too easy for her to be hiding somewhere.

"Soo Jun," I say, addressing the empty auditorium as if she's there. "I hope you've received my letter. And I hope you accept my apology for lying to you. Thanks to you, I've learned a lot. Thanks to you, I had fun making music. And thanks to you, I have finally learned to live with myself."

I look up at the seats in front of me - empty. All of them.

Against all odds, I still want to believe that Soo Jun is here somewhere, listening to all this. I continue, "You're a really warm and special friend to me, Soo Jun. Please forgive me!"

My words echo around the auditorium.

_Forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me..._

Pretty much convinced that I'm alone in this auditorium, I let it all out - everything I truly feel: "I think I'm falling for you, Soo Jun. You're the only one who I can be myself with. The only one who can tolerate my lame jokes and weird behaviour. I feel like I could really trust you and be honest with you. I really treasure our friendship. But if you're here, I wanna tell you that I want to take it a little further."

I smile to myself, half-pretending that Soo Jun really is here. "I don't have much. But this is for you, all for you, and I just wanna be for you."

I start playing a random melody on my guitar to make the silence less deafening. Smiling some more, I tell her about my plan on taking her on dates - to concerts, to plays, jamming sessions, cooking instant ramen together, and many other fragments of happiness that I'd like to share with her.

"I won't waste anymore of your time. I'll play this song as promised. Sing along?"

If awkward could kill, this is it. "All For You" begins with the girl singing. But singing a duet alone sure reflects what I'm feeling right now. I want something beautiful that I can't achieve alone. And I'm hoping against hope that she will agree to be part of it.

By now, her part is over and I begin to sing mine. As I begin singing the chorus... I hear another voice accompanying mine.

The microphone blares out a loud high-pitched monotone over the loud speakers.

_Strange. I didn't switch it on._

A voice sings the introduction to "All For You". Even though there was no accompaniment, it still sounded pure and beautiful.

"Soo Jun!" I shout. "Where are you?"

I stand up and look around. Where is she?

She skips my part in the song and begins to sing the chorus. Her voice plays over the sound system. I think it's her way of inviting _me_ to sing along.

Giving up on finding her, I switch on my microphone, pick up the guitar, and start framing her voice with mine while strumming.

The atmosphere lifted and suddenly, the auditorium doesn't feel that lonely anymore. Singing with Soo Jun again is bliss I thought I'd never have the chance to feel again.

When the song finished, I smile. Even though I don't know where Soo Jun is right now, it's a relief to know she's not mad anymore.

I get up from my seat with every intention to start looking for her.

As I turn around, I see her. She was standing backstage!

I run to meet her, smiling like a dork. Soo Jun is all smiles as she looks up to me too.

"I'm hungry," she says.

"Can I take that as permission to start dating you?"

Soo Jun smiles at me and takes my hand.

I interlock my fingers with hers as we leave the auditorium.


End file.
